I shall be showing new work at the Lionnes de Caolin gallery in the historic village of Oingt in Beaujolais throughout September. 2011. [Announcement - Bil Harley - 1Ko - 2011]

Bil (William-reed) Harley I was born in Britain in Co. Durham and have always been attracted to the countryside which is the major influence in my paintings. I have lived in France for over 30 years now and I began painting in 1992 whilst on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales.  I choose to paint with oils because the medium is so very tactile, I tried acrylics but found them "lifeless". In 1994 I was accepted as an associate member of the "Salon D'Hiver" in Lyon where I have lived for the last 25 years or so. The salon has been an annual event for the last 50 years. At the 2000 Salon I was awarded the      " Prix des Presidents".  Since then I have taken part in over 30 exhibitions in the Rhone-Alpes, Loire and the Ardeche regions. Between 2002 and 2004 I have had four shows of my own in galleries in Lyon and Ardeche. In 2004 illness forced me to stop painting but I began again in at the end of 2006.     Major Exhibitions   Salon d'Hiver Lyon since 1994 June 1998, Maison des Expositions at Ternand in the Beaujolais August 1999, Maison des Expositions at Ternand in the Beaujolais February 2000, Prix des Presidents at the Salon d'Hiver  October 2001, Cité des Peintres, Morestel in l'Ain  July 2002, 30 paintings at la galerie La Forge, Lyon  September 2002, one of the "Groupe des Douze" at l'Espace Berthelot in Lyon July 2004, 50 paintings shown in an Exhibition in St Pierreville in the Ardeche region [Biography - Bil Harley - 4Ko]